Tell me about your 2.3yr old please.

[Galena]

DD is 2.3 and has fairly mild cerebral palsy. I am about to tackle the joys of the DLA form and I have to explain what aspects of her care require more time and attention than a 'typical' child her age - i.e. what she needs more help with during the day than a 'typical' child (I hate that phrase!) However, as she is my PFB, I don't really know WHAT is typical for her age! I see friends' children, but don't see how the whole day pans out, IYSWIM? So, if I describe her, please can you tell me what is different with your 2.3yr old? Ta!

Not walking yet - crawls, pulls to stand and cruises. Taken a few unaided steps.
Always needs to be carried/in pushchair when we're out
Cannot really dress/undress herself - can take socks and shoes off and just beginning with trousers, but can put nothing on.
Can 'kick' a ball if it happens to be in front of her as she totters around, but not a proper kick.
Can crawl up stairs and slide down them on her tummy (feet first).
Cannot scoot, jump, etc.
Communicates fairly well - speaks in 4-5 word sentences and has a pretty good vocabulary.
Not potty/toilet trained - occasionally wees in the potty before her bath but doesn't ask to go or communicate a wet/dirty nappy really.
Eats pretty well - uses a fork and spoon and is beginning to manage without getting the whole house covered! More goes in than spills.
Can drink from an open cup but then, when she has had enough, rather than tell me/put it down, will upend it.
Plays nicely by herself, although a lot of the play we do is physio-based.

That's all I can think of but please add anything else if you think it's important! Obviously the stretching exercises we do throughout the day are extra, but I'm looking at the other general stuff. Thanks, I'm having a minor panic looking at the form!

[Sam100]

Hi - just bumping for you. Not had a 2 year old for a while but trying to remember I think at this stage my dd's could:

• walk, run
  
• manage for a while without a pushchair but not for a long walk - in and out
  
• could pull tops on and elastic trousers but not do buttons or poppers
  
• could kick a ball
  
• could walk up and down stairs
  
• could use scooter, tricycle etc
  
• could talk in simple sentences
  
• one was potty trained but the other was not (dd1 probably nearer 3, dd2 was 2 and 3 months)
  
• eating - they knew supposed to use utensils but invariably shoveled in with hands!
  
• drinking - I always used sealed cups as they invariably knocked them over when putting down!
  

What is she like with finger painting, drawing etc?

Other thing I remember from 2 year check up was stacking blocks. Have you looked at the health visitor list [[

www.healthvisitors.com/parents/development_two_yrs.htm here]]?

I hope this helps and that someone with a real 2 year old is along soon.

[Sam100]

It didn't like my link - must have deleted a bit! try again here

[Galena]

Thanks Sam100

That's helpful. She's pretty good at block stacking and loves 'drawing' although not terribly recognisable... (will talk through drawing a cat 'Face, ears, eyes, nose, mouth, whiskers!' but nobody would look at it and recognise it as a cat!) I shall peruse the list.

Thanks again!

[RollingInTheAisles]

Hi Galena, my 2.3 year old sounds similar to yours with the exception of walking and moving well

[MilkNoSugarPlease]

am a nanny and my charge is 2.3 if that helps

she can
-walk with confidence for around 15m before she wants carrying- but cab go 40 m if she's not being lazy....do rarely does

• can put easy clothes on and off-leggings, t-shirt, tights
  

-can walk up.and downstairs
-can scoot/jump
-can climb into her highchair (tripp trapp)
-climbes up climbing frames and goes down slides independently
-not toilet trained- will tell us when she needs to go sometimes....but she'll be damned if she's using a potty
-eats confidently and can eat without making a mess...but wheres the fun in that
-uses an open cup confidently and independently
-loves drawing but not very recognizable!


don't know if this helped!

[YodaisaCat]

Hi Galena, my 25 month old is very similar, again, with the exception of walking and moving well. He can't scooter though, or put any clothes on, but he can take his shoes and socks off. His drawing is just scribbling and he likes stacking cups or blocks until it's funnier to knock them down. He is a bit clumsy now and again and gets frustrated when things won't do what he wants, or when Mummy won't do what he wants IMMEDIATELY!

[thisisyesterday]

i have a little boy who is 2yrs and 1 month

i'll go through your list:

can walk and run well (but all of my lot have been early walkers, so he may not be typical, i don't know)

can walk when we're out tho is prone to running off, so we do still use the pushchair a lot., he would get tired doing too much walking as well

can kind of kick a ball... getting better at it but often tries to kick and misses

can go up and down stairs fine

doesn't have a huge vocab. he doesn't join any words up yet, but is starting to copy us a lot more recently

not potty trained at all. knows about going on the toilet and will sit on it, but mostly then wees on the floor

eats well with a fork/spook and can drink from an open cup (does the same up-ending thing!!!)

plays ok by himself but prefers adult interaction still

[thisisyesterday]

oh, he can jump, i noticed the other day.

he can use ride-on toys, but not a scooter

he attempts to put clothes on. can do trousers properly but that's about it. can do his own shoes but not always on the right feet

[ifeellove]

My 21 month old sounds very much like your 2 year old except he is a confident walker/runner/climber also he isn't talking that much - understands everything but more of the strong and silent type. How is she in social settings - aware of or interacting with other children? Hope all goes well with the form

[notcitrus]

Apart from not walking, that sounds very like ds at that age - and in some ways him at 2.9 - can't kick or throw a ball, only just learnt to take shoes off, still can't get trousers up/down, got jumping a couple months ago, can now nearly scoot but couldn't a couple months ago, couldn't give a toss about a dirty nappy, not very bothered about being wet, could use a spoon well, lots of clear vocab. At that age I was still hammering home the CUPS POINT UP message...
He only got into drawing around 2.6.

Is it the fine motor control she has problems with?

[Galena]

Thanks all - that's really helpful (and pretty much what I expected).

Her CP affects mainly her legs, which is causing the delay in the gross motor skills walking/running/etc. However, I think it does also affect the dressing/undressing herself as her legs are stiffer than most children so it's tricky to get feet into trousers etc.

She will interact with other children well and rides on her little push-along trike (forwards and backwards). She can climb her 3-step slide and slide down on her own and can climb the climbing frame at toddler group and go down that slide (although that gives me palpitations still!)

[blackeyedsusan]

ds could walk upstairs and downstairs holding the banisters. run climb (eek)

he could feed himself with a spoon and fork.

he could sit unaided on aa chair (though we strapped him in for our sanity. )

walk up steep hills unaided. (just looked at the photographs)

dd could talk in sentences of 6 words or so.

ds can climb into the car on his own though not into the seat.

[loubielou31]

If it helps your list sounds very similar to my 17 month old DD except she can walk (and run away when she's of a mind to!) she crawls up and down stairs, enjoys bouncing on her toddler trampoline, but does not have recognisable speech apart from Mummy and Daddy.

She does enjoy scribbling and I think has good fine motor control, picking up tiny objects, using cutlery and similar tasks.

[chubbly]

My 2.2 dd can walk, run and jump
she helps getting herself dressed, but cannot do it independantly except socks- she's got those down
can crawl upstairs, she's quite petite so cannot reach the steps comfotably
she can use utensils and an open cup
she is almost potty trained, needs to be reminded that she needs a wee, but will tell us about needing a poo
loves to draw and stick things, can count to twenty and is using 3-4 word sentance
she was a late developer physically but her speech and fine motor skills were early
hope this helps
:)

[mypersonalfavourite]

My DD is 2.3 too so hopefully I can help.

Walking - Could walk to park (15 mins away) if need be but will need to go in the buggy on the way back. Can run.

Can dress herself but will probably be upside down and back-to-front. Tops over the head not great but she can get jackets/ cardigans and backpacks on. Can put her shoes on - random which foot they go on.

Will copy to kick the ball with the side of foot or toes but 'awful' (DH says) independently.

She can walk down the stairs forwards.

She can jump and scoot - both pretty well. Bounced on the spot or jump on the bed and lift her legs up to land in her bum.

Just started doing fairly long sentences but this has exploded in the last six weeks or so so I think your daughter's speech sounds normal.

Potty training properly started about a month ago and was the same as you before that. She's not completely dry but is pretty clean. We won't be dry at night for a while I think.

She's not great with a fork (keeping things on it) but is fine with a spoon.

Open cup fine here too with the odd accident.

Plays nicely by herself when not whining.

With the running, jumping and scooting she does seem to be slightly ahead of her peers but speech, eating and potty training she's about the same.

[Notanexcitingname]

My ds2 is 2.4 (and I think ahead of the curve physically)

Has been walking forever, running, jumping, climbing. Scoots fast (I have to run), cannot pedal, but just starting to get the hang of a balance bike

Clamours loudly to get out of the pushchair/sling while out. (But often put back in as he is a bolter)

Is a closet naturist. Will remove all clothes given half a chance. Just learning to replace-can do pants and trousers (sometime they are even the right way round), tops not really at all.

Has just learned to kick a ball deliberately. But prefers to annoy ds1 by running away with it

Communicates fairly well - speaks in 4-5 word sentences and has a pretty good vocabulary.

Is on the way to be potty trained. Refuses to wear a nappy, but won't ask to go, won't sit on potty unless needs to go, but won't tell you either. Will stop there or I shall rant.....

Food has been a bit of an issue. (allergies) Not good on using cutlery (bet you never knew soup was a finger food ). I do often load the fork in order to get him used to using it, and will feed him sometimes, as he is super distractible and wakes early if he's not eaten enough

Can drink from an open cup, but will often forget what he's doing and tip to one side. Or wash his cutlery in it. Or pour it on the table and lick it off

PLays independently, unlike ds1 (5). Roleplay, imaginary play (I think)

ds1 (5) couldn't draw anything until he started school this year, ds2 definitely just doing scribbles

[BoffinMum]

Can walk about half a mile without problems.
Do not always need pushchair, can walk with reins.
Can take socks, shoes and coat off. Can't dress. Can out glasses on though.
Can run up to a ball and kick it.
Can walk upstairs and down, but usually slides down on bottom.
Can scoot a bit on a balance bike and tricycle.
Can jump (but older brother couldn't until age of 4+ and he has disability)
No potty training whatsoever and little interest.
Very tidy eating, can use fork and spoon, hardly needs bib.
Same behaviour with open cups as your DD.
Plays very contentedly, very much into pretend play and Dr Who. Can name a number of characters and attempts to sing the theme tune.
Can speak 2 and 3 word sentences, if rather unclear
Can conceptualise things like hiding, hot, cold, scared.
Scribble drawings but articulates what they are.
No clue as to why stacking blocks at random doesn't result in a successful tower.
Can say his name and how old he is, can count a little.
Very good at climbing.
Can swim really well with a float suit on (5 metres easily).
Prefers running to walking, charges around a lot shouting, "Quickly!"